Follow by Email

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

This year's Systema Retreat runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday 12th-14th SeptThe work is led by Rob Poyton and Ed Phillips, plus guest instructors.You will have the opportunity to study breath work, mobility, awareness training, massage, application work and more in a lovely peaceful setting!

6. Ditto with the hands clasped in front, use of elbows and shoulders to defend 7. Ditto with full use of the hands in groups of three
8. Speed work - touch the attacking arm then touch the body/face
9. Pad work - hard hits from short range, punching from the hand not the body
10. Ditto against a partner - hit the attacking arm then into the core
11. Takedowns vs a punch
12. Multiple strikes from close range
13. Draining attackers will to fight - hits into muscles, etc
14. Freestyle work 15. Group work
16. The healing power of strikes!

Saturday, 14 June 2014

1. Stretching, tense relax for arms, torso, legs2. Selective tension / muscle control3. Pushing with the fist4. Returning the push, feeding off the first push5. Ditto with partner moving6. Pushing with the foot

7. Returning the kick, feeding off the first push8. Ditto with partner moving9. Back and forth push/punch/kick - allow the attack to land and respond from it10. Work to take us back to free /natural movement – allowing the body to work without conscious thought or intention / tension11. Sparring in threes and whole group - ability to take strikes and use the movement, striking with no root12. Basic pad work – importance of pad holder, movement and different striking methods13. Shorter strikes – hammer or knife – developing power with tighter movements14. Striking attacking arm the forward into face/neck/body for strike, takedown or restraint15. Violent hospitality!16. The return of Nathaniel!

8. ditto on the move9. Pushups with hands in different positions - reinforcing structure10. Slow sparring - not a simulation or "fight", like learning scales in music11. Slow work to re-programme the nervous system12. Peripheral vision13. Sparring on three levels14. Maintaining an even psyche - how the ego creates tension and how tension draws attention15. Whole group sparring16. Breathing and 20 count

Sunday, 18 May 2014

We all learn how to punch, kick, stretch, move etc. But how do you learn to teach?
For the first time in the UK, Instructors Rob Poyton and Ed Phillips are
revealing the revolutionary methods of Russian teaching.

You will learn how to unlock student creativity and how to make
your classes dynamic, productive and engaging - whatever your style!

So if you are an existing Instructor or are thinking of starting your own
training group,click hereto find out more details about this great opportunity!

Here's some notes from the FCW and some footage from the day - the full download is available via the main site

1. Need to control fear rather than be controlled by it

2. Method – innoculation rather than supression / de-sensitisation

3. Establishing fear hierarachy

4. Triune brain theory, agression / predator / human

5. Controlling tension through breathing

6. Basic breath hold and restoration

7. Restoration under discomfort

8. The role of the amygdala / hippocampus

9. The physiology of fear

10. Re-programming the brain, establishing a mindset

11. Using the breath to unlock freeze response

12. Pain management through breathing

13. Basic falls

14. Basic strike management

15. Blindfold work

16. Restoration via breathing and massage

17. Overall principle – to establish a mindeset which can respond to fear /
stress in a rational way, without undue tension and panic. It’s not about
“toughing things out”, it’s about working through a series of drills and
exercises of different intensity in order to undergo an experience you can learn
from. As there were new people present, intensity was kept average to low, but I
hope that everyone gained something from the experience. Thanks everyone who
took part in such good spirit

7. Ditto, control the wrist, control the
person8. Quick disarms from contact into control work9. Vs stabs and
slashes - avoid the knife, but make contact with the stabbing arm10. Ditto
in pairs11. Move and attack the stabbing arm12. Attack the arm then into
the face / body13. Short work vs the knife14. The importance of hiding
work, legal implications of knife defence15. Establishing a "day to day "
mindset - ie not having a "special mindset" that you have to work from, which
needs some preparation time16. Maintaining physical and psychological
equilibrium in training17. Knife vs knife18. The elbow is stronger than
the chin!

Today's class notes1. Breathe, stretch, tense, relax2. Joint
rotation3. Accepting push from stick, whole body movement4.Ditto left,
right, up , down5. Ditto localised movement, subtle6. Allowing the body
to work frees the brain for other functions (like when driving a car)7. Take
the stick8. Stick dis-arms from contact, in pairs and threes9. Exercises
with the stick - climbing, pull ups, etc10. Fear drills with the
stick11. Working position and timing against the stick12. Taking hits
from the stick13. Free play, pairs and group14. Keeping work simple and
natural allows for adaptable response - just do it!15. Bacon rolls!

Saturday, 29 March 2014

1. Breathing and stretching2. Being pushed from seated and kneeling
position3. Absorb force and control speed of your fall - be soft, not a
plank!4. When pushed, throw the attacker5. Simple turning movement
against grabs

6. Add in reversal and shoulder movement7. Add in work
against the feet8. Repeat above with dropping / level change movements9.
Let the other person work, stay soft but don't let him win10. See
opportunities for strikes11. Work with every part of your body and against
every part of his12. Work against two attackers13. Group
grab/punch14. Hayfever herbs from Mir - thank you!

Sunday, 23 March 2014

1. Breathing tense/relax2. Core exercises3.
Work on the arms - selective tension during range of motion exercises4. Push
ups5. Selective tension with partner6. Push ups 7. Maintaining
contact and tension with two partners8. Yep - more push ups!9. Shoulder
mobility - solo work10. Ditto with a partner11. Work against a boxer -
establishing distance12. Counterpunching13. Accessing the boxer's lead
hand and re-directing14. Striking the lead arm and hitting into
tension15. The importance of affecting the boxer's structure16.
Freeplay, pair and group

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

A question came up on a martial arts forum recently about how much time people spent on stretching in class. This led on to a discussion about exercise in general during class time.

There was strong feeling from some that exercise has no place in class. That students can exercise at home, when they come to class they should be “learning stuff” and that somehow a teacher who has exercises in class is short-changing their students.

I have some sympathy with this view, having been in classes that were as much as 80% solo training with little or no input from anyone else. I’ve also attended numerous classes that, whatever the style, had the almost identical “warm up” and “cool down” drills at beginning and end of class, you got the feeling they were there because “that’s what you do”.

My old pal Terry Shepherd dropped in on one of my Systema classes a few years back. He made an observation “I see you do your exercises throughout the session”. I don’t think I’ve done a Systema class anywhere that didn’t involve exercises at some point - the core ones being of course press-ups, squats, leg raises/sit ups and some type of breathing/stretching/tension work. Why would this be when, as some say, exercises can be done at home and are really just a quick warm-up before the “real work”?

The answer is that there can be so much more to exercises than warming the muscles. Exercises can be preparation for work and can also provide the framework and attribute development for your work.

So many times I see self-defence training in various forms which has people hitting pads, working techniques and so on. Now it may be that I’m not seeing it, but to me there is a vital factor missing - where is the power coming from for the techniques? We all know that applied power comes from a combination of functional strength, good body mechanics and understanding of principle. So, ok, you may be able to build strength by weight-training or doing some press-ups outside of class. But do you know how to feed that strength into your technique? Is your exercise training functional or because “that’s what you do”?

This is where the Systema approach comes in. Every exercise in a Systema class is multi-functional. A basic press-up can teach you a lot about body structure, selective tension, breathing patterns, fist placement and more - if it is taught as such. Of course you can just blast out 30 reps, fast as you can, with no thought of form or structure. Seeing people do this badly with squats always makes me wince..... the knees are misaligned, the back arched, the head tilts back....people are doing the exercise without understanding what it is for and can end up doing more harm than good.

So in this sense doing the core exercises is one way of teaching your body to apply your technique or work efficiently and also giving you the strength, physical and mental, required to do so. I’ve said before that in a way the core exercises are Systema’s kata or form, they map your body structure and point the way towards natural movement. Running, walking, rolling, climbing, all are similar exercise activities that feed into our work, whether it’s for self defence or just day to day living.

Of course people should exercise at home too, in fact once you get the correct feeling from the exercises it’s hard not too - I find even a day without and the body start to feel rusty (especially at my age!) Some pressups, a few rolls, some breathing and things are back to normal.

That is solo exercises. Of course another feature of Systema training are partner exercises, be they bodyweight, with a stick, or other variations. These also have “educational value” beyond the obvious. They can be co-operative (leading into team work) or competitive (in the sense of one person being a hindrance or obstacle).

This is all on the physical level. There is just as much to be learnt on the psychological
level, once again even basic breathing patterns can teach us a lot about panic and self control. It is better at first that any new exercise is carried out under supervision - once you know how to check yourself and what to look at for you can add your own variations in at home to stop things getting dull!

So - should you exercise in class? Depends entirely how you view exercise and how it fits into your work. If you see little or no connection, thenexercise is largely worthless beyond being a quick stretch or warm-up. If you see it is a means of development it become a rich source of information

If you would like more information on how exercise relates to application, check out our latest Class Download, here's a preview clip

Saturday, 22 February 2014

1. Breathing, tense and relax
2. Freestyle pushing in threes
3. Stand on
one leg pushing - redirect force up or out, not into leg
4. Using same
principle re-direct punch and hit back
5. The basic exercises - simple but
difficult to do properly - the "biting" point
5. Exercises with focus on

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

I mentioned in my last article about watching some self defence training clips recently. This by no means applies to all the SD training out there, there are some people doing good work. However there does seem to be a trend towards the “quick fix” self defence course which, I believe, can actually be dangerous.

One of the favourite buzz-words for this type of course is “empowerment”. It’s a powerful word, if you’ll pardon the pun. Who wouldn’t want to take a person who is suffering some sort of threat, violence, abuse or lack of power and give them the tools in order to assert themselves in a bad situation.

The problem is in the method of doing so. People attending are shown some “sure-fire” techniques which they work against a helpful partner or on a Bob dummy. In addition they may be encouraged to “power shout” and put all their aggression into the technique. Everyone gets a bit adrenalised, get’s the chance to vent some tension and no doubt goes home feeling “empowered”.

This is in marked contrast to more realistic forms of training, where people, for the first few sessions at least, feel markedly worse after! This is an important aspect of training - you have to make people understand and recognise their vulnerabilities before addressing them. Otherwise it’s just papering over the cracks. A person who has undergone training to control their emotional response in a dangerous situation is far better equipped than a person who is taught to “just slap the ears” or “just kick the groin”. They may get lucky, but if things do not work like they did in the class there is a real chance they will freeze or fall apart.

This points to the second problem with the “quick fix” method - technique above principle. Some measure of technique is very useful to start - but only if it is taught as a possible response, not as a carved in stone “he does this you do that”. Further study of principle leads to important things such as awareness, understanding of body language, communication techniques and other skills not covered in the “quick fix” approach.

Working in a behavioural way through a principle led approach will lead to a person being much more adaptable under pressure and ultimately lead to empowerment as a state of being rather than an empty buzz word

The biggest problem of course is that marketing the “quick fix” is liable to be more comercially succesful - in almost every sphere of life, from dieting to self defence to keep fit. The brutal truth is that without a lack of real understanding, reliance on a coupe of “tricks” holds potential for disaster

Point 7 - this is working from
contact with the knife, ie the basic "knife push" drill. However make your body
movement fast and small in response. At the same time apply your knife strip
disarm work. Imagine the knife is red hot, as soon as it touches you respond
fast. Helps "wake" the body up to fast work and you can then feed this feeling /
movement into your other work

Friday, 14 February 2014

Class notes 8/2/20141. Windy!2. Stick warm up - movement from wrist,
shoulder, whole body3. Catch and throw stick drill4. Catch and throw
applied to punches5. Speed work vs one person6. Reaction work vs two
people (non-attachment)7. Gauntlet work8. Sensitivity work in pairs,
giving and receiving information via touch9. Ditto in threes10. Working
against two, working inside the movement, re-directing, short strikes11.
Affecting structure through short, deep hits12. Stick push drills to
realx13. How relaxed you think you are is not always how relaxed you
actually are (thanks Bart!)14. Still windy!

Class notes
1/2/20141. Joint rotation and stretching2. Core exercises3. Get
pushed4. Pushed to the floor and get up again5. Get pushed by a
group6. Get slapped around by the group7. Two vs one - positioning8.
Ditto - work vs legs then the arms9. Using person as a shield10. Drop
one attacker instantly11. Guard or no guard?12. Redirecting
strikes13. Attack the first guy on the way to attacking the second
one14. Taking strikes15. Relaxing muscles through pressure and
massage16. Forgot to take pictures with hats 17. RP to check the
calendar!! Outdoors next week!

Class notes 11/1/20141. Running with pyramid breathing2.
Changing levels, sitting to floor, standing to floor3. To floor and back
without using hands4. Takedowns using bodyweight5. Recap on work against
legs6. Kicking to legs to break structure, relax muscle or damage
joint7. Takedowns from floor using body8. Changing level to work against
the legs9. Team work, two on one, for restraint10. Knife handling /
passing11. Knife work from clinch12. Close-in knife work13. Group
knife work14. Home invasion - preparation, home security, help your
neighbours, especially elderly / alone

Sorry I've let the blog slip a bit lately! A lot of time recently has been taken putting the new website together. It is now up and running at www.systemauk.com
There are still more pages to be added, plus new articles and info.

The shopsite has also undergone a makeover, you can now order DVDs and downloads from the same site
So I'll be getting some more posts up here on the blog - each week I'll be posting our class notes from the Saturday group and expanding on them if I get the chance. To start off I'll post notes from the last few sessions, plus the latest Class Download cl;ip preview - see below